Readers write

Readers write

December 12, 1990

CONDOMS, EDUCATION NEEDED IN SCHOOLS

From: Vladimir G. Marinich

Ellicott City

Your writer, Donna Boller ("Some faculty oppose condom distribution at HCC," The Howard County Sun, Dec. 5), was inaccurate in saying that I proposed an educational requirement prior to distributing condoms to students, and the quote attributed to me is not accurate.

My observation and suggestion is that to call the handing out of brochures along with condoms an "educational program" is not an educational program, which brings me to the alleged quote.

My view is that without a program to educate people, what will happen is that irresponsible people will continue to act irresponsibly.

This is not a moral judgment; rather, it is an observation that people who do things without knowledge or regard for safety will continue to behave that way unless they are educated.

Finally, I did not propose an educational requirement prior to distribution of condoms.

I suggested that there was a range of possible approaches, which could include covering the topic in appropriate classes, workshops, seminars, meetings and, in the extreme (and I emphasized that it was extreme), people could be required to demonstrate some kind of understanding of the issues prior to receiving condoms.

That is hardly a proposal and certainly not the core of my position.

My participation in the meeting, as a concerned citizen, should be summed up in my argument that an educational program that is more active and comprehensive than the handing out of brochures is what is needed to accompany the distribution of condoms.